Fuel tank shell with structural support

Abstract

A fuel tank assembly for vehicles comprising a fuel tank shell having reduced wall thickness, accordingly resulting in a reduced total mass of the tank assembly. The fuel tank shell comprises two half shells connected to one another and having at least one support member attached thereto for providing structural support to the fuel tank shell. In particular, the support member may be positioned internally or externally to the fuel tank with such a positioning being selected so as to offer support in at least one area where the stress level exerted on the fuel tank shell is maximum.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority on U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 024,239, filed on Jan. 29, 2008 and which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a fuel tank assembly. More specifically, the present invention is concerned with a fuel tank assembly for vehicles.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]With recent environmental legislation, vehicle fuel economy has become a great concern. An effective way of reducing fuel consumption is to decrease the mass of vehicular components.[0004]The fuel tank is a component which must meet a certain vehicle durability requirement. To reduce fuel tank mass, its thickness can be diminished but not to the expense of its ability to meet the durability requirement. Therefore, there is a need to find a way of decreasing the mass of the fuel tank assembly while maintaining the rigidity of its structure.[0005]Currently, the stresses in...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]More specifically, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a fuel tank assembly for attachment to a vehicle body. The fuel tank assembly comprises a fuel tank shell for containing fuel and a support member mounted to the tank shell along a direction substantially normal to a longitudinal axis thereof. The support member is positioned in an area of the tank shell where a level of stress exerted on the tank shell is maximum, thereby providing structural support to the tank shell and enabling a reduction of the thickness of the tank shell to a minimum value meeting a fuel tank durability requirement.

[0009]The support member may be located inside or outside the tank shell, in an area where deflection and corresponding stress is high. The support member limits tank shell deflection, thereby decreasing the corresponding stress level. The decrease in stress level allows for a decrease in tank shell material thickness and consequently to a reduction in the mass of the vehicle fuel tank assembly.

Problems solved by technology

However, there is no teaching of positioning such supports in localized areas of the tank shell, which are subjected to heavier levels of pressure and deflection.

Still, when localized reinforcement is taught, such elements do not however enable a reduction in the thickness of the entire tank shell, and accordingly a reduction in the total mass of the tank.

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